Streaking Deacs face tall order with 'Cuse

By Bob Sutton

Published: Tuesday, January 28, 2014 at 04:25 PM.

WINSTON-SALEM — Feeling good about the direction they’re going, members of the Wake Forest men’s basketball team have a chance to multiply those vibes tonight. That’s because unbeaten and No. 2-ranked Syracuse shows up for an Atlantic Coast Conference clash.

Already having toppled North Carolina, North Carolina State and Notre Dame at home this month, this could be an even bigger prize.

“Going to Wake Forest is very difficult and they’re tough at their place,” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said.

Wake Forest has won 13 consecutive home games, including 12 times this season. The Demon Deacons have won back-to-back ACC games for the second time in four seasons, so there’s reason to sense something could be brewing.

“We haven’t lost at home yet,” McKie said. “We feel like we have the advantage and we just have to ride the momentum. We’re feeling good. We’ve been playing well. I think we’re starting to get it. We’ll be coming in with a lot of confidence. It should be a good one.

Still, Syracuse is one of three unbeaten teams in the country, certainly ready to pull into town and slap a 2-3 zone defense on the Demon Deacons. In Saturday’s victory against Notre Dame, the Demon Deacons encountered a good dose of zone defense. That could serve an ideal learning opportunity, coach Jeff Bzdelik said.

“We have to make sure that with our aggression we’re not turning the ball over,” Bzdelik said. “We need to be efficient against (Syracuse’s) zone. … They’re unique. They’re different from most teams.”

The Demon Deacons seem anxious to see how they stack up against a defense that tends to cause opponents problems.

“We know what we’re going against,” McKie said. “We just have to stay with it and we’ll be fine.”

Syracuse has a home matchup against Duke on Saturday night in what’s billed as one of the premier games on the ACC schedule this season. Yet Boeheim pointed out that Syracuse had to recover from second-half deficits in its last two road games in visits to Boston College and Miami. He said the Orange would have no problem paying attention to matters at Joel Coliseum.

“There’s no-such thing as a ‘trap game’ as a coach. That’s a media term,” Boeheim said. “There’s no thought that we won’t be thinking about Wake Forest. We’ll be thinking about Wake Forest until that game is over.”

WINSTON-SALEM — Feeling good about the direction they’re going, members of the Wake Forest men’s basketball team have a chance to multiply those vibes tonight. That’s because unbeaten and No. 2-ranked Syracuse shows up for an Atlantic Coast Conference clash.

Already having toppled North Carolina, North Carolina State and Notre Dame at home this month, this could be an even bigger prize.

“Going to Wake Forest is very difficult and they’re tough at their place,” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said.

Wake Forest has won 13 consecutive home games, including 12 times this season. The Demon Deacons have won back-to-back ACC games for the second time in four seasons, so there’s reason to sense something could be brewing.

“We haven’t lost at home yet,” McKie said. “We feel like we have the advantage and we just have to ride the momentum. We’re feeling good. We’ve been playing well. I think we’re starting to get it. We’ll be coming in with a lot of confidence. It should be a good one.

Still, Syracuse is one of three unbeaten teams in the country, certainly ready to pull into town and slap a 2-3 zone defense on the Demon Deacons. In Saturday’s victory against Notre Dame, the Demon Deacons encountered a good dose of zone defense. That could serve an ideal learning opportunity, coach Jeff Bzdelik said.

“We have to make sure that with our aggression we’re not turning the ball over,” Bzdelik said. “We need to be efficient against (Syracuse’s) zone. … They’re unique. They’re different from most teams.”

The Demon Deacons seem anxious to see how they stack up against a defense that tends to cause opponents problems.

“We know what we’re going against,” McKie said. “We just have to stay with it and we’ll be fine.”

Syracuse has a home matchup against Duke on Saturday night in what’s billed as one of the premier games on the ACC schedule this season. Yet Boeheim pointed out that Syracuse had to recover from second-half deficits in its last two road games in visits to Boston College and Miami. He said the Orange would have no problem paying attention to matters at Joel Coliseum.

“There’s no-such thing as a ‘trap game’ as a coach. That’s a media term,” Boeheim said. “There’s no thought that we won’t be thinking about Wake Forest. We’ll be thinking about Wake Forest until that game is over.”